Supernatural Languages (3.5e Variant Rule)

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This variant is useful for campaigns in which language barriers are intended to be a more serious hurdle. This variant should not be used without special consideration by both the DM and the players, since it creates a hurdle players will have to more seriously consider when crafting their characters, choosing spells, etc.

Supernatural languages are languages which are radically different from normally spoken languages. They include the combination of body language and sounds used by animals to communicate, the magical languages of dragons and titans, and the songs of angels and noises of demons. Supernatural languages are not learned in the normal way, and they do not develop dialects or change over time. Supernatural languages have no written equivalent. They can only be used by mortals by means of spells or by taking the relevant feats. Which languages are considered supernatural are at the discretion of the DM, but by default they include all languages granted by the feats listed in the New Feats section below.

Since supernatural languages have no written equivalent, there is no Supernal script, and Draconic, Primordial, and Abyssal have no written script.

Serpentine: Serpentine is a new, natural language which replaces Draconic for the purpose of all races and creatures other than dragons who normally speak Draconic, such as kobolds. It still uses the Iokharic script.

Guttural: Guttural is a new, natural language which replaces Abyssal for the purposes of all races and creatures other than Demons who speak Abyssal. It still uses the Barazhad script.

At the DM's discretion, any prestige class, feat, or anything else which has proficiency in a particular language, now a supernatural language, may either have that prerequisite ignored, substituted with a non-supernatural language, or may have the relevant supernatural language feat as a prerequisite. If the last option is used, some adjustment in the benefits of the prestige class, feat, or whatever, may be in order to make it worth the extra work.